Club Meeting
The meeting began.
The eight of us club members sat around the table.
Club President Yu-bam, seated in the center, presided over the meeting.
"Has everyone finished uploading to the shared drive?"
"Yes, uploaded."
"Me too."
"I'm still uploading."
Bam Nuna pointed to the front of the room.
"I'll go first, then we'll present in the order we uploaded. Everyone, follow along on your tablets and look at the front screen too. I've connected my tablet."
The ceiling-mounted projector lit up the screen. An image appeared on the large screen at the front. First up was Bam Nuna's proposal.
Bam Nuna proceeded with her presentation.
"The theme of my proposal is 'Korea Tour'—a Korea travelogue from a foreigner's perspective, introducing Korea's tourist spots, landmarks, traditions, and so on through a sensibility that's... well, foreign. Through my own eyes."
Korean scenery from a foreigner's perspective.
'Inoffensive and pretty decent, actually?'
It felt like a subject that could really showcase a distinctive quality precisely because Bam Nuna was an exchange student. It also seemed to suit the characteristics of a short-form animation that needed to present its theme within about 5 to 10 minutes.
Since the theme was so clear, the visuals came to mind naturally.
If I had to pick a downside, it was maybe a little predictable. If done poorly, it could end up as boring as a government-produced educational video.
Well, if they handled the perspective of a current exchange student in an entertaining way, maybe that would cover for it?
"That's all. Any questions?"
"......."
No particular questions came up.
Truthfully, there wasn't much to question. Not only was the theme clear, but she had also attached reference materials covering which tourist spots and distinct features to introduce and how.
"Next... it's Ah-reum's turn."
"Yep!"
Ah-reum stood up from her seat to present.
...Did she actually stand up? She's so tiny that it's really hard to tell the difference between sitting and standing.
"I want to make a short animation about a school band. Oh, it doesn't have to be a school setting. Just briefly show the characters' traits, and fill about 3~4 minutes with a song we compose ourselves."
I blinked and looked at Ah-reum.
'Compose it ourselves...?'
Had she been binge-watching stuff like K-○on! or Love ○ive! lately?
Ah-reum couldn't hide her excitement and continued speaking passionately.
"It'd be even better if each of us could play an instrument. Wouldn't it be fun to overlap the animation and reality? For reference, I can do simple composition and play the piano."
I had no idea Ah-reum could compose music and even play the piano. It was amazing that she could handle a piano with those tiny little hands.
But then, Ah-reum suddenly declared:
"Kkangcheol will do the singing!"
"Wh-what?! What are you suddenly talking about? I never heard anything about this?"
How could she be so brazen when she hadn't given me any warning?!
I tried to protest, but Ah-reum just said shamelessly:
"It's fine. You're a good singer, so you can do it."
"No, I'm not *that* good, okay?"
"Well, do you know how to play any instruments then?"
"...I don't."
"So you can just sing then."
Completely unreasonable.
I shook my head.
"Let's say I sing. What instruments are the rest of you going to play?"
"Uh, um... we could start learning now......."
"We'd have to spend a full year just working on this short animation. Learning instruments on top of that would be tough. It's not like we don't have other club activities."
"...Tch."
For now, the club's ultimate goal was to produce a short animation, but there were other activities planned as well—like setting up a booth at Seoul Comics, or cosplay activities.
If we tried to learn instruments on top of that, we'd probably have to give up any semblance of a personal life and pour every waking hour into the club, and it still might not be enough.
As the two of us were locked in a standoff, Bam Nuna stepped in to wrap things up.
"Okaaay, we'll talk about the details later. We're voting after this anyway."
"Okaaay......."
Ah-reum sank down with a sullen face. It seemed she'd spoken in excitement and only then realized it wouldn't work—she had a deflated look.
'Now I feel bad for no reason... well, still, what's impossible is impossible.'
Next was Seongju Hyung.
He was still more of a regular person than a hardcore otaku. What on earth had he prepared?
Seongju Hyung, uncharacteristically, spoke with an awkward expression.
"Well... I did put a proposal together, but......."
He started the presentation in a tone that lacked any confidence.
As soon as the presentation went on, I could see why.
'Wait, this is plagiarism.'
He'd been hanging out with Ahn Seong-hyeon a lot lately and getting recommendations for various manga and anime, and sure enough, the proposal was a mishmash of distinctive features from existing anime, like some kind of stew.
"Well, this one's not going to work."
"Hyung, these are all the anime that I recommended to you......."
Han Saebyeok shook her head immediately, and Ahn Seong-hyeon looked at Seongju Hyung with a dumbfounded expression.
Bam Nuna shook her head and said:
"Okay, Seong-ju. Have a seat, please."
"Yeeaah......."
He was cut off before finishing his presentation and sat back down.
But looking at his expression, it seemed like he'd expected this outcome. He must have just thrown something together for the sake of formality. After all, for someone who'd only recently gotten into anime, the assignment was far too difficult.
Next were Hana's and Ahn Seong-hyeon's presentations.
Hana's was, as I'd seen earlier, 'Love Comedy of an Outsider Cosplay Girl and an Insider Photographer,' and Ahn Seong-hyeon's was a romantic comedy titled 'Listen to My Voice,' with a 'voice actor' theme.
The surprising part was that both proposals showed hints of considerable professionalism.
Personally, I was more impressed by Ahn Seong-hyeon's proposal. For Ju Hana, since she was a famous cosplayer herself, I could accept that, but the amount of research Ahn Seong-hyeon had done on 'voice actors' was fascinating.
'Looking at the voice acting academy descriptions, it seems to be about the Japanese industry, though.'
The Korean and Japanese voice acting industries seem similar but are actually quite different. Individual skill may vary, but when it comes to the entertainment business side, the Japanese system is better organized. Ahn Seong-hyeon's proposal was clearly targeting the Japanese voice acting industry.
Now only a few people were left.
Bam Nuna looked at Seora Nuna.
"Seora Unni, you said you didn't have a proposal, right?"
"Yeah. Sorry, but this year I'm a bit busy......."
"No, it's fine. We're just grateful you're participating with us."
Bam Nuna, and indeed all the club members, nodded in complete understanding.
Seora Nuna was a fourth-year this year, her final year. Just preparing for her graduation project or thesis would be busy enough, and she also had to prepare for job hunting. On top of that, she was already working as a personal trainer at the gym.
Considering that most fourth-years don't even participate in club activities, we should have been grateful just for her help. Especially since it wasn't a short-term thing—she was offering to help on a year-long project. Asking her to take the lead on a proposal too would have been utterly shameless.
"Then next, it's Saebyeok's turn."
I licked my lips ruefully. I'd wanted to present somewhere in the middle, but apparently my upload had been the slowest. The file size was substantial even after converting it.
Han Saebyeok's proposal appeared on the screen.
[Tattoos and Scars]
The presentation, which began with that title, showed even more professionalism than Ju Hana's and Ahn Seong-hyeon's.
It started with an explanation of tattoo artists.
About the work of inking tattoos.
About the positive and negative perceptions of tattoos.
Even the psychology of people who get tattoos.
"I want to depict the stories of a tattoo artist and clients who carry scars. The scars could be physical ones etched onto the body, or invisible wounds of the heart."
After finishing that rough explanation, Han Saebyeok added in a quiet voice:
"This is a bit unrelated to the animation production, but......."
Trailing off, Han Saebyeok's gaze briefly turned in my direction.
"I work as a tattoo artist in Hongdae. I've been doing it for four years... no, it'll be five years this year, so if anyone needs a consultation, just let me know."
Five years this year?
My thoughts scrambled for a moment.
'Wasn't she 22 years old?'
If it had been five years, that meant she'd been tattooing since she was eighteen... I had doubts whether that was even possible.
Meanwhile, next to me, Seongju Hyung murmured in quiet admiration.
"Woah... five years? Maybe I should get a consultation?"
"Huh? Seongju Hyung, you're going to get a tattoo?"
"Yeah. I already have one on my arm, but... I'm not happy with it. I'm thinking of getting a cover-up. It's hard to find someone good."
I'd only ever seen him wear long sleeves, so I had absolutely no idea he had a tattoo. Was Seongju Hyung secretly a scary guy too?
While I was thinking that, it was my turn.
"Last one. Cheol-jin, please present."
"Ah, yes."
My proposal was displayed on the screen.
I was about to open my mouth to present when—
'Ah, right. I need to lay the groundwork.'
Before starting the presentation, I began laying the groundwork I'd prepared in advance.
"Ahem. First, the theme I've come up with is 'Escape from the Room Corner of a Reclusive Loner.' For reference, you might find the background setting and characters familiar—that's not because it's a personal experience story, but because I referenced an actual middle school, our university, and the club to add detail to the narrative. I ended up turning the club members into characters, so I'd appreciate your understanding."
Alright, that should be enough detailed groundwork laid, right? I'd explained it all.
I moistened my parched lips with my tongue and spoke to the club members.
"First of all, before I explain, please look at the comic in the shared drive on your individual tablets. Ah, the finish is rough because it's just a storyboard, so please understand......."
*
While Kang Cheol-jin glanced awkwardly around at everyone, the club members began reading the comic that had appeared on their tablets.
Ju Hana was startled by the file size.
'Huh? Didn't Cheol-jin start working on this just four days ago?'
Considering the presentation was today, he'd had at most three days to work on it, yet the volume was over a hundred panels.
'Hnnngh. I think I'm going to cry again.......'
'Sigh, I really shouldn't have done that back then.'
Pi Ah-reum and Ahn Seong-hyeon, who had already read the comic once, were pressing their lips together tightly, holding back tears.
'So this was the comic those two saw earlier. Looks like it's based on Cheol-jin's personal experience.'
The quick-witted Kim Seong-ju immediately figured out the nature of the comic.
'He said it was a storyboard, but the quality is incredibly high.'
Han Saebyeok was inwardly impressed and glanced back at Kang Cheol-jin. The lines were clean, and it felt more like reading a proper serialized comic than a planning storyboard.
'Huh? This isn't the art style I know?'
'Cheol-jin really draws amazingly well.'
As they read the comic, each had different thoughts.
But they all shared one thought.
'It's a personal experience story.'
Naturally, everyone had figured it out.
'Ah, this part. This was when I gave him water.'
'Cigarette burn... so that's why the cover sheet.......'
'Hmm. So this is how Kkangcheol was born. Mean people.'
Kang Cheol-jin watched the members anxiously. It was because, in between reading, he could feel them stealing glances at him from time to time. He'd expected to get caught, but now that it was actually happening, his lips went dry.
'How many of them figured it out? Hana was within my expected range. Seora Nuna probably knows too.......'
Kang Cheol-jin never imagined that absolutely everyone had figured it out.
*
All the presentations were over.
The meeting concluded with a vote.
"Everyone, please vote for the piece you liked best. It's an anonymous vote, of course! Oh, and you can't vote for your own!"
The vote was over in an instant.
[Korea Tour - 1 vote]
[Tattoos and Scars - 1 vote]
[Escape from the Room Corner - 6 votes]
'Huh?!'
I was inwardly horrified and looked around. I'd secretly thought I might get maybe one vote, but I never expected it to win so overwhelmingly.
'I thought Korea Tour or Tattoos and Scars would win.'
Contrary to my expectations, Bam Nuna clapped her hands as if she'd predicted it.
"As expected. I knew Cheol-jin's would get picked."
"Cheol-jin, in case you misunderstand, we voted rationally. It was the most detailed."
"Yeah. And for me... I liked that all the club members appeared in it."
Bam Nuna, Ahn Seong-hyeon, and Ju Hana spoke in that order.
I felt awkward and scratched my head as I looked around at the members.
"Is this really okay? I personally voted for Tattoos and Scars......."
I found the subject matter of tattoos itself a bit off-putting, but I voted for it because I liked the theme. The atmosphere and direction as a short-form animation also seemed like they could be unique.
Han Saebyeok looked at me with slightly widened eyes, then soon nodded.
"I voted for 'Korea Tour'... but 'Escape from the Room Corner' is good too. I think I can show what I want to show through it as well."
"Re-really?"
The mood was one of general agreement.
Was it really decided just like that? I felt a bit dazed and proud, but at the same time, the path ahead loomed dauntingly. In the end, this meant we'd be turning my past into an animation, didn't it?
"Of course! We'll have to cut some—no, quite a lot—of the scenes from the comic, since the running time will be short."
"Ah, well, yes."
"We'll show the past briefly, just the essential core parts. And then I think it'd be better to show a bright transformation into the present, and future."
It was true that focusing too heavily on my past would make the overall mood far too heavy. At the time, I'd gotten immersed in drawing and the volume had leaned that way, but since the theme itself was an 'Escape Story,' it was right to show the changed image afterward, rather than the grim past.
"Alright, today's club meeting is over! Let's all work hard going forward! Everyone, great job!"
"G-good work."
"Great work!"
The meeting ended.
And then Bam Nuna pulled out her wallet.
"Now, let's go eat! Team dinner! It's my treat—something delicious!"